UPS Flight Forward to take delivery of first 10 eVTOLs from Beta Technologies by 2024

• Last year in January, UPS Ventures completed a minority investment in Arrival.
• The vehicle has a 1,400-pound cargo capacity, a range of 250 miles and zero operating emissions.

April 08, 2021: UPS Flight Forward, a subsidiary of UPS, is scheduled to take delivery of its first ten eVTOL aircraft beginning in 2024, with the option to purchase up to 150 plans to purchase electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Beta Technologies (BETA). The vehicle has a 1,400-pound cargo capacity, a range of 250 miles and zero operating emissions.

“This is all about innovation with a focus on returns for our business, our customers and the environment,” said Juan Perez, UPS chief information and engineering officer. “These new aircraft will create operational efficiencies in our business, open possibilities for new services and serve as a foundation for future solutions to reduce the emissions profile of our air and ground operation.”

With the capability to take off and land directly on UPS property, eVTOL aircraft are perfect for moving smaller loads that would otherwise fly to and from airports on small feeder aircraft or take even longer by ground.

UPS has reserved BETA's recharging station for safe and rapid charging of the aircraft in under one hour to facilitate faster cargo loading and unloading. The charging station also offers the aircraft’s batteries a second life. After the batteries’ first lifecycle in the aircraft is over, they can be fitted to the charging station to recharge the aircraft’s onboard batteries as well as UPS’s fleet of electric ground vehicles.

UPS has more than 12,000 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles deployed worldwide, and is committed to purchase up to 10,000 electric vehicles from Arrival, which makes electric vehicle (EV) platforms and purpose-built vehicles. Last year in January, UPS Ventures completed a minority investment in Arrival.